Maya is Saved by Shawn
by BeeBee18
Summary: GMW fanfic- this story starts in early to mid-season 2 and disregards all of season 3. What would happen if Katy abandoned Maya? This is my first time writing for this site, so please R&R and apologies for the terrible title and summary!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic on this site (and ever online) and I would love it if you could R&R! Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!

Also, I wrote this fic quite a while ago. If anything is inconsistent with what has now happened in GMW (which a lot of it is), just think about this fic starting somewhere in early to mid-season 2.

Disclaimer: I don't own Boy Meets World or its spin-off series Girl Meets World.

Maya walked into the Matthews' apartment one Sunday morning looking distraught. There were tear stains on her cheeks and tears in her eyes. Cory and Topanga turned from the kitchen table. They had been eating breakfast, but were at Maya's side in an instant when they saw her face. Topanga took Maya's hand.

"Sweetie, what's the matter?"

Maya gripped Topanga's hand tightly and leaned her head against Cory's shoulder, but shook her head, unable to speak.

"Come, let's sit down," Cory invited gently. As though in a daze, Maya went to sit on the couch. Cory and Topanga sat on either side of her.

"Now, what's going on?" Cory asked.

"My mom," Maya choked out.

"What happened?" Topanga asked, sounding alarmed for a moment. "Is everything okay?"

Maya shook her head. "Everyone's okay except for me! My mom left! She left me all alone!" Maya began to sob.

Topanga held the girl close and rocked her back and forth. "Everything's okay. It's all going to be okay."

"No it's not!" Maya burst out suddenly. "She's going to California to be with some guy she knew a long time ago and she's hoping she can secure some kind of acting thing while she's there. But she's staying there no matter what, so it doesn't matter if she gets a big part in a Hollywood film or whatever. She's staying. And she's leaving me all alone!" Maya's voice had continued to rise as she spoke, and her last word ended in a loud shout which brought Riley running into the living space, an alarmed look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Riley shouted frantically.

"It's alright, Riley," Cory said gently. "Maya, I think you should talk to Riley about this. But only if you want to."

Maya nodded. "Come on, Riles. I really want to talk to you about this."

Riley nodded understandingly. She came over to the couch and took Maya's hand to help her stand, then led her to her room. The two girls sat down on the window seat.

"Now," said RIley, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder, "what happened?"

Maya took a deep breath, and then the whole story spilled out. "And she's left me all alone!" Maya finished, tears pouring down her face.

Riley just gripped her friend's shoulder, not knowing what to say.

A/N: Hopefully I'll update soon! Apologies for any typos or grammar mistakes. Reviews as well as constructive criticism are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter 2 is up! Hope ya like it!

As soon as Riley and Maya had left the room, Cory and Topanga rushed to the phone. Cory grabbed the phone and dialed Shawn's cell phone number. Shawn answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Shawn."

"Hi, Cor."

"Shawn, can you get over here right now?"

"I can get a taxi. Why?"

"Maya needs help. I think you'd be the best one for the job."

"What happened?" Shawn asked, alarm sounding in his voice.

"Maya will explain to you when you get here. Just come as soon as you can."

"I'm on my way," Shawn said. "See you soon."

"Thanks, Shawn." Cory hung up the phone.

Topanga, standing behind him, looked like she was about to cry. Cory turned to her, took her in his arms, and hugged her close. He rocked her and kissed the top of her head. "Maya's going to be okay," Cory told his wife quietly.

Topanga smiled. "I know. I just wish there was something we could do."

"We'll help Maya in any way we can," said Cory.

Topanga nodded. "I'm so happy you know Maya. You'd never believe how much you help her."

Cory's throat constricted, so he didn't speak, just hugged Topanga close.

3 minutes later, Shawn rushed into the apartment looking frazzled. "Where's Maya? Is she okay?"

"Don't worry, Shawn," Cory said, coming towards his friend. "Maya's going to be fine. We just thought it would be good if you would talk to her."

Shawn nodded, a calmer expression coming onto his face. "Where is she?"

"The girls are in Riley's room. I'll just go see if they've finished talking," said Topanga. She went and peeked into Riley's room to see Maya crying with Riley patting her shoulder. Her heart broke for the young girl, but there was nothing she could do- she felt she had to leave it up to Riley and Shawn now.

"They're not talking anymore," she told Shawn. "But Maya could use some real comfort right now. She'll tell you what happened."

Shawn left the kitchen and went to Riley's room. He opened the door and stood in the doorway, his heart breaking for Maya who sat there crying. It did not take long for Riley to look up and see him. She beckoned to him silently and nodded towards Maya.

Shawn went over to the window seat. Riley took her hand off Maya's shoulder, then quickly stood and left the room while Shawn sat down next to Maya and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.

Maya looked up. "Oh, Shawn!" she sobbed out, then buried her face in Shawn's chest and proceeded to cry stormily.

Shawn wrapped his arms around the girl and held her tightly. After a few minutes, Shawn's comforting hold calmed Maya's sobbing.

"Okay, what's going on?" Shawn asked gently.

"My mom left."

"Katy left?! Where'd she go?"

"California. Either she's going to get some big part in a movie, or she'll hang out with some guy she knew a long time ago."

Maya looked up at Shawn and saw the look of sadness on his face after she had said those words.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shawn!" she exclaimed, hugging Shawn again.

Shawn smiled at her affectionately. "It's okay. I'm used to it. I just wish she hadn't left you."

Maya knew that Shawn would never be 'used to it', that it would always hurt him a little, but she didn't press it and just sighed. "I wish she had stayed too."

"Wait," Shawn said. "How do you know that all this happened if she was gone when you woke up?"

"She left me a note."

"Can I see?"

Maya pulled a small crumpled piece of paper from her jeans pocket and handed it to Shawn. Shawn read the note quickly. When he looked up, he looked angry.

"I can't believe she would do this to you! She says to not try to even contact her! I can't believe I loved her, either," he added in a whisper.

"It's not your fault," Maya said quickly.

"I know." Shawn gave her a quick smile. "I just love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Maya was deeply touched that he had said he loved her, but decided to remain quiet and just leaned her head on Shawn's shoulder and sighed.

Shawn suddenly sat straight up. "Maya, I just got a great idea so you won't have to be alone! Would you like to come live by me?"

"Yes!" Maya shouted eagerly. "Can we actually do that?"

"If you want to," said Shawn. "I could even become your legal guardian."

Shawn felt like slapping himself after he had said that last sentence. He and Maya were so much alike, and he remembered how he'd turned off when someone had offered help. He hoped that didn't happen.

But Maya was elated. "I'd love for you to become my guardian!"

"Great! I'll apply for and sign the papers as soon as possible. I wouldn't want for you what happened to me."

"What happened to you?"

"Oh, my teacher took me in for a while when I was a kid, when my parents took off."

"And what happened?"

"I found out that he hadn't signed the guardian papers months after I thought he did. I loved him like my own dad, but I was mad at him for days."

A smile formed on Maya's face. "What's that teacher's name?"

"Jonathan Turner. One of the best people I've ever met."

"Riley's uncle Jonathan," Maya said, realizing the connection. "He told me he still loves you like a son."

"Wait, wait, wait," Shawn said quickly. "Jon was here?"

"Yeah, he's Riley's uncle Jonathan, and the superintendent of New York schools. You didn't know?"

Shawn stood and ran from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3! Hope you like it!

P.S. An asterisk (*) means scene change.

Cory and Topanga had been talking quietly with Riley in the kitchen the whole time that Shawn was talking to Maya, so they were very surprised to see Shawn rushing into the living room.

"Cory! Jon's here?" Shawn asked incredulously.

"I was worried about this," Cory said quietly.

"You didn't tell me?"

"Shawnie, I'm sorry. We weren't sure if it was a good idea to tell you," Cory said, approaching his friend.

"Not sure if it wasn't a good idea to tell me?!" Shawn yelled. "How could you not tell me?!"

Topanga whispered to Riley to leave the room, then moved down the couch so Cory and Shawn could sit. Shawn sat between Cory and Topanga, shaking from frustration and sadness.

"Shawn, we're so sorry," Topanga said gently.

"I just want to know why you did it," Shawn said.

"Well, Shawnie," Cory began, "we weren't really sure if it was a good idea, you always on the move, and Turner's not around so much, and y'know…" Cory trailed off awkwardly. "It's kind of hard to explain."

Topanga glanced at her watch and then at her husband. "Cory, you should probably go down. Jon will be here in a few minutes and you'll have to explain."

Cory nodded, then stood and left.

"What's the reason?" Shawn asked Topanga. "Cory wasn't so clear," he added with a slight smile.

"We know you very well, Shawn, and well...we know your history. We were worried maybe you'd leave again. And we'd never want that."

"Thank you for thinking of me. But I'm not like that anymore. I've realized that my priorities are you guys and Maya, not running away from my life."

"That's very good to hear," Topanga said.

The two friends hugged, then sat next to each other, quietly enjoying each other's company.

Cory waited in the lobby, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot. They had never told Jon that Shawn was around either, which just made Cory even more nervous. Finally, Jon came through the big double doors of the apartment building lobby. Cory hurried toward him.

"Jonathan, good to see you!" Cory called.

The two men shook hands.

"So, Jon, there's something we need to talk about," Cory began uncertainly. "Would you like me to tell you straight out or ease you into it?"

"Let's get it over with," Jon said. He sounded tired. Probably he thought this was something teacher related.

Cory took a deep breath. "Shawn's here."

"WHAT?!"

"Shawn's here. He's been in and out the past few months and now he's living in the city. We're sorry we didn't tell you before, we were just worried about Shawn doing, well, his trademark thing…"

Jon nodded understandingly. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because Shawn's here and he just found out you were in New York at all. You know, his last memory of you is in the hospital. That's not exactly a great last memory of someone he loves."

"Does he love me?"

"Of course! He was practically crying when he found out you were here because he wanted to see you so badly."

"Wait, Shawn's here, like, in your apartment?"

Cory nodded. Jon bolted for the elevator.

A/N: Is it good so far? Is it halfway decent? Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter 4 is up! Let me know what you think!

Cory ran into the apartment. "He's coming in!" he announced dramatically.

Shawn stood and straightened his shirt instinctively. Suddenly Jon walked in.

Shawn could barely believe his eyes. A big smile spread slowly across his face. "Jon," he whispered.

"Shawn."

Jon opened his arms and the two men walked toward each other. Within moments, Shawn was in Jon's arms. The two men gripped each other tightly, almost unable to believe the other was right there in his arms. Shawn, overcome with emotion, felt tears come to his eyes and buried his face in Jon's shoulder. Jon sensed this and tightened his hold around the younger man, rubbing his back gently.

Finally, the two parted. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Mr. Turner all sat down on the couch to chat.

Meanwhile, in Riley's room, Maya and Riley were talking.

"It sounds like they're just chatting now," Riley said. "Maybe we should go in."

Maya made sure to wash the last of the tear stains off her face, then went with Riley into the living room. Riley sat down next to her parents, and Shawn beckoned to Maya to sit beside him.

"This is Maya Hart," Shawn introduced her.

Turner smiled. "We've met. How are you, Miss Hart?"

Maya smiled ruefully. "I've been better, but I'll be okay now."

Jon nodded and squeezed her shoulder before turning his attention back to Shawn.

"Shawn, what are you up to now? Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing great. I've been doing some photography, some writing on a site called "Hit the Road", that kind of thing."

"How's Shawn doing with you, kiddo?" Job asked Maya kindly.

"Very good. I'm told I'm a lot like Shawn."

"She is," Shawn told his mentor with a smile. "You'd love her. And she's even gonna do what we did."

"She's gonna live with you?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

Shawn saw Maya's expression darkening. "Why don't we talk about this later?"

Jon, recognizing the look on Maya's face, nodded understandingly and changed the subject.

The group talked for an hour, then sat down for dinner.

After dinner, Shawn and Jon went on a long walk. They talked a long time, about everything that had been going on since they last saw each other. It had been many years, and they wanted to clear some things up and just be together. The last thing Jon had said to Shawn before his accident was something negative. Jon had felt bad about that for many years, and now he was able to apologize and rectify everything.

"I can't believe I didn't know you were here," Shawn said. He still was amazed and terribly happy that Jon was here.

"How's your father?" Jon asked. "Does he live around here now?"

Shawn took his breath in sharply as he realized that Jon hadn't been around when his dad had died, so he didn't know.

"My father died a number of years ago."

"I'm so sorry! When?"

"My first year of college. It was a long time ago."

Jon could tell from Shawn's last sentence that he didn't want to talk about it, so he quickly changed the subject.

The two men walked for a long time until they ended up on Central Park. They sat down on a bench and talked for many hours.

They didn't even realize the time passing until Shawn's cell phone rang.

"Shawn?"

"Oh, hey, Cor."

"It's 9:30 at night. We're just wondering where you guys are."

"It's already 9:30?" Shawn asked, amazed. "Alright, Cor, we'll see you guys soon."

"I didn't realize it was so late," Shawn said to Jon ruefully. "We should probably go back." Jon agreed, and so they hailed a taxi and went back to the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter 5 is here! Let me know what you think!

At 2 o'clock the next morning, Cory still hadn't gotten any sleep. He kept tossing and turning, thinking about what had happened that day, while Topanga slept peacefully next to him. Suddenly, Cory heard very quiet crying, and somehow knew immediately that it was Shawn. He rolled out of bed and ran to the living room, where Shawn's bed was on the couch. Shawn sat on the couch, fully dressed, with his small suitcase beside him, his face in his hands, crying. Cory sat beside his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. Shawn looked up, and seeing who it was, he quickly wiped the tears from his face and sniffed.

"I have to get out of here," Shawn told Cory quietly.

"You're taking off?"

"No, I mean, yes, I mean...I don't know. Maybe I should just go away for a day, but I don't think that'll be enough. I'm sorry, tell everyone I'm sorry, but I have to leave."

"Shawn, there's no reason to leave. We all want you here."

"I know, but I have to get away from the past. Being around you guys all the time, and then Turner showing up tonight...it was too much. I have to leave."

"Well, it'll be hard to tell Riley and Maya, but whatever you think is best, Shawnie."

Shawn nodded. "Thanks."

Cory dressed quickly, and then walked his friend down to the lobby and out of the building. The two men embraced, and then Shawn waved down one of the few passing cabs that early in the morning and got in. "Thanks, Cor. Hope I see you guys soon." And then Shawn closed the door and the cab drove away.

Cory went up to the apartment. He sat on the couch for a long time, thinking, then went to bed, but tossed and turned the rest of the night, thinking about how he would tell Maya.

At 7 that morning, Cory got out of bed and went to the girls' room. He sat next to Maya's side of the bed, and waited for her to wake up. Half an hour later, Maya's eyes opened, and she turned her head to see Cory sitting by her bedside.

"Cory?"

"Hi, Maya. We have to talk about something. Come into the living room, okay?"

Maya got out of bed and followed Cory to the living room, where they sat down on the couch.

"Maya, Shawn left. I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"He took off early this morning. He felt that the past was pressing down on him too much, especially after seeing Mr. Turner."

Maya's face fell. "I guess it was silly of me to think that I could have a permanent home anywhere," she said, blinking back tears.

Cory took her in his arms. "You'll always have a home with us. You can stay here as long as you want- forever, if that's what you want to do, okay? Always remember that."

Maya hugged Cory back. "Thank you."

Suddenly tears began streaming down Maya's face, and Cory hugged her close as she sobbed.

"Everyone always leaves me!" Maya sobbed.

"We're right here," Cory reminded her. "We always will be. Whenever you need anything."

Maya nodded and swallowed the rest of her sobs. She wiped the tears from her face. "I'm going to call Shawn."

Cory nodded. "Good idea."

Maya went over to the phone and dialed Shawn's cell phone number that she had memorized a long time before.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Chapter 6 is here! Hope ya like it!

Shawn sat on a bus that was headed out of Maryland to Georgia. He had been traveling for five and a half hours. He felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket, pulled it out and checked the number. Recognizing the Mathews' number, he put his phone back into his pocket, ignoring the call. When his cell phone rang for the third time, however, he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Shawn?"

Maya's hesitant voice made him suddenly thirst to be back in New York.

"Hi, Maya."

"How could you leave me?" Maya asked. Her voice broke as she said the last word, and Shawn felt his own heart breaking.

"I thought that I would finally have a permanent home. I guess that was silly of me," Maya said quietly.

"No, Maya. Don't talk like that. You deserve a good home, and I'm going to give you one," Shawn said determinedly. "I'll be home in a few hours. I'm so sorry I left, but I'll see you soon."

"Why did you leave? Is it because of me?"

Shawn was shocked. "No! Of course not! I'm not sure how much you know about my past, but I sometimes have trouble looking back on it, because things were hard for me. Being around Cory and Topanga all the time was sometimes hard for me, but not usually. Seeing Jon, though, I don't know… I felt like I had to get away. But now I'm coming back, okay? I'll see you pretty soon."

"Okay, Shawn." Maya was once again blinking back tears. "Thanks. I'll see you soon."

Maya hung up the phone and turned back to Cory. "Shawn's on his way back."

"Good! Are you okay now, Maya?"

Maya nodded. "I think so. I just-" but her voice broke. "I just wish this kind of thing wouldn't happen. Not to me, not to Shawn, not to anyone. Nobody deserves this."

"You're right, Maya. Nobody deserves this. Unfortunately, no one person can stop this."

"I wish I could," Maya said quietly as she sat down on the couch.

"I know," Cory told her gently, putting an arm around her shoulders, "I wish that, too."

Maya snuggled into a comfortable position, still leaning against Cory, and closed her eyes. "It's very early. Can I sleep a little more?"

"Sure," Cory said with a smile. He pulled her closer as she went to sleep.

There was no school that day, so Riley and Maya were allowed to sleep late. Topanga woke up at 8 o'clock and came into the living room to find Cory sitting on the couch with a sleeping Maya next to him. Cory quickly told her about how Shawn had left, and how he was now coming back. Topanga told Riley the whole story at 9 when she woke up. Riley and Maya got dressed and ate breakfast, then sat together quietly and waited for Shawn. 2 hours passed. Riley read a book. Maya tried to read, but couldn't sit still, so she paced the floor instead. 2 hours later, after watching TV, eating snacks, reading, and pacing, Shawn ran into the apartment. Maya turned and saw him, and was in his arms within seconds.

"Thank you," Maya whispered as she hugged him.

"What for?"

"For coming back. You could have said no, but you came back because you knew I needed you. So thank you," Maya said simply. There was no reason to say anymore.

Shawn swallowed a lump in his throat he hugged Maya close. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving. I won't do it again. You can always count on me. I promise."

Maya frowned. "You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep."

"Don't you trust me, Maya? I would do anything for you. I love you. If I make a promise to you, I really mean it."

Maya hugged Shawn tighter. "I love you, too. And I do trust you. But sometimes I get scared."

"I know. But you don't have to be scared anymore. I'm right here and I always will be."

"Thank you, Shawn. That means a lot."

The two parted, but Shawn kept an arm around Maya's shoulders. Maya stayed close to Shawn for the remainder of the night, and late that night, Maya packed up all her stuff from the Matthews' apartment and from her own, and they brought it all to Shawn's apartment.

Shawn's computer suddenly dinged with an email, and he went to check it because it could be important. It wasn't, but he answered it right away, because being alone for a few minutes made him think about what he was doing, and think about his own past, and his eyes began to sting, so he stayed in his room a lot longer than Maya had expected. Finally, after 15 minutes, Maya knocked on his door, and opened it.

"Shawn, is everything okay?" Maya asked quickly when she saw Shawn sitting with a hand over his eyes.

Shawn turned a shining face to her with a big smile. "I'm better than I've ever been before," he stated simply.

"I just wanted to thank you again for this," Maya said, almost shyly.

"Hey. I want to do something for someone I love. Ok? Now go get the rest of your stuff unpacked," Shawn said as he playfully shooed her out of the room, then stood and followed. He gave Maya sheets for the bed in his spare room, and looked around the room as it seemed to come together. "If you'd like to paint your room, or get new matching sheets or anything like that, just let me know."

"Alright. Thank you."

Shawn hugged Maya to him for a moment, then sent her off to get ready for bed, and went to get ready for bed himself. He would call Katy in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Chapter 7 is here!

The next morning, after Maya had gone to school, Shawn picked up the phone and called Katy. Katy was already in California. She heard her cell phone ring, and, not recognizing the number, picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Katy. It's Shawn. I was just calling to ask you some stuff about Maya."

"Okay, what?"

"Okay, first of all, are you crazy? You do not just leave a 14-year-old all alone to fend for herself, especially when she's already lost her father. You just don't do that. Second of all, Maya is living in my apartment now, and I want guardianship papers. But I can't get them without a letter from you. So I would appreciate it if you would help me out."

"Sure," Katy said immediately. "I might even be able to write up the letter today. I'll call you back to ask for the court address. Bye." And with that, Katy hung up.

"Well, that wasn't very hard," Shawn said to himself, wishing that it was. Obviously something was going on with Katy that made her want to stay far away from her daughter.

A week later, after filling out the paperwork and filing it to the court, Shawn and Maya went to court, where the judge gave Shawn guardianship of Maya.

Mr. Turner as well as the Matthews' were there. Jon and Shawn both looked like they were going to cry the whole time the legal proceedings were going on. When the judge gave Shawn full custody of Maya and closed the case, Shawn did shed a few tears as he hugged Maya very close to him and whispered to her that he'd never leave her again. Maya hugged him tighter and whispered back, "I know." That was all they said to each other or to anyone else for a long time after that- that was all that needed to be said.

Later, Shawn talked to Cory, Topanga, and Jon about taking in Maya.

"Cor, you were right. I feel like my life has just begun, and Maya's not even my child. But just the knowledge that I'm taking care of someone I care about, that I'm the adult in this child's life- that's enough."

"I told you, Shawnie. It's a great feeling."

Shawn turned to Mr. Turner. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For showing me that you can do crazy things to help someone else out, and that love is strong. You were one of the few people in my life that showed me that, so thank you. And thank you, Cory and Topanga," Shawn said, turning to them, "for the same reasons. Cory, do your parents know about this yet?"

"No, I was hoping you would tell them."

"Ok. I'll go call them now."

Shawn stood and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. If he broke down while talking to his honorary parents, he didn't want anyone to see.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Chapter 8 is here! Let me know what you think!

Maya and Riley walked into Topanga's and immediately spotted Lucas and Farkle sitting in the group's usual spot. As soon as the boys saw them, they stood to each give Maya a big hug. Farkle hugged Maya tightly for a moment and whispered "Congratulations" in her ear.

"Thank you," Maya whispered back, squeezing her friend for just a second before letting go.

Lucas then stepped up to Maya. He had always been extremely supportive of Maya, especially during the harder moments. Now he went to her and pulled her into a warm, tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you," he whispered into her ear. "I hope it'll be easier for you now."

"Thanks, Lucas. It means so much to have your support."

The two parted, but Lucas stayed near Maya protectively for a while, even as the four friends began to talk about other things.

Shawn stood in Riley's bedroom and dialed the older Mathews' phone number on his cell phone. Amy picked up the phone after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi Amy, it's Shawn."

"Hi, Shawn. How are you?"

"I've never been better. That's why I called."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Do you remember Maya Hart from the holidays last year?"

"Sure. What about her?"

"Well, she-" Here, Shawn had to stop for a minute and swallow back the emotions he was feeling before continuing. "She has a family situation similar to mine, and now I've become her legal guardian, and she moved into my apartment earlier today. Just like Jon did for me."

"Oh, Shawn, that was a beautiful thing to do!" Amy exclaimed.

Shawn could hear Amy repeating his words to Alan.

"Well, I guess our little boys are all grown up now," Alan said. "I'm very happy for you, Shawn," Alan added, speaking into the phone.

Shawn smiled, trying to keep his emotional roller coaster under control.

"Congratulations, Shawn. We love you," Amy told Shawn gently.

Shawn swallowed the lump in his throat. "Love you too. And I just wanted to thank you. You showed me caring and compassion when no one else would, and that completely changed my life." Shawn's voice broke as he finished his sentence.

Amy smiled sadly. "I'm glad we were able to be a steady part of your life. I'm so glad you were part of our lives.

"You know what? How about Alan and I come up to the city for a couple of days, get to know Maya a little more and help you settle into each other?"

"That would be great," Shawn said in relief. "Are you sure it's not too big a deal to come up?"

"For you, Shawn? For any of our children, it would not be a big deal to go anywhere."

"But- but I'm not your child."

"Not biologically. But remember what we said the night we offered to adopt you?"

"That I am your son, just not in name," Shawn said, realizing once again the power of those words.

"Exactly. So we're coming up. We'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then. And thank you, for everything."

"Anytime, Shawn," Alan said into the phone. "Anytime."

They hung up, and Shawn went back into the living room feeling refreshed, as though he had taken a big load off his mind, although he wasn't sure why. Maybe he just had to let Amy and Alan know about everything that was going on.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Chapter 9 is here!

An hour later, it was already quite late, so Shawn went down to Topanga's to pick up Maya.

"Come on, Maya," Shawn said, coming through the door. "It's time to go home."

Shawn couldn't help but smile hugely as he said that.

"Bye, guys. I have to go home. To my real home," Maya told her friends quickly, jumping up.

Each of her friends gave her a quick hug, and then Maya and Shawn left the café.

"Can we stop so I can say goodnight to Cory and Topanga?" Maya asked Shawn as they walked down the patio.

"Sure," Shawn agreed. He understood how special it was to have people that looked after you.

They went quickly to the apartment, where Maya gave Cory and Topanga a tight hug and thanked them for the years that they had taken care of her.

The couple hugged Maya back and wished her and Shawn well, and then Maya and Shawn went upstairs to their own apartment.

Maya got ready for bed, and Shawn looked in on her before she went to sleep.

"You comfy?" Shawn asked affectionately.

"Yup," said Maya. "Thanks for everything, Shawn. Good night."

"Good night, sweetie," Shawn said gently, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

The next day, after school was out, Maya heard a knock on the apartment door. She opened it to see two familiar people standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," Maya said shyly.

"Hi, Maya," Amy stooped down to give Maya a hug. "We heard about the new living arrangement, so we came up to see you and Shawn. How is everything?"

"It's going great," Maya said happily.

"Good. When Shawn came to live with us when he was a kid, there were some problems, which is why he went to live with Jon. We're glad that's not happening for you."

"No, not at all. I love it here," Maya said comfortably.

"Good, we're glad to hear it," Alan said, in his deep, fatherly voice.

Upon hearing voices in the apartment, Shawn came out of his office/room, then stopped short when he saw Amy and Alan standing in the doorway.

"Shawn," Amy said warmly, going toward Shawn with her arms outstretched.

"Amy, Alan," Shawn exclaimed happily, "I'm so glad you're here."

"It's good to be here, Shawn," Amy said as she hugged Shawn gently.

Alan pulled Shawn into a quick and rough fatherly hug when Amy had let go. Then the three adults went into the other room to talk after telling Maya to go downstairs to the Matthews' apartment. Alan and Amy gave Shawn parenting tips, and other advice that could help them during this time, as they still had to get used to living together. Shawn was sure that this advice would help them out.

Maya strolled into the Matthews' apartment. Shawn, Amy, and Alan had told her to come down here, so there she was. Cory was sitting on the couch reading a book, and looked up when he heard her walk in.

"Hi, Cory. By the way, your parents are upstairs in our apartment."

"I know, Maya," Cory said in his usual gentle voice. "Thanks for telling me, though. How's the living arrangement going?"

"Still going great. I hope it stays that way."

"I hope so, too. But somehow, I think it's going to be fine."

Maya suddenly gave Cory a spontaneous hug. Cory laughed and hugged her back.

"Don't ask me to explain what that was for," Maya said as they parted, "because I don't think I could explain it."

Cory smiled. "Alright. Riley's in her room if you want to hang out with her."

"Ok, thanks. See you later."

Maya ran off down the hall to Riley's room.

The two girls sat and talked for a long time on the bay window.

"So," Riley said, gearing up for the question that she had been wanting to ask Maya for the last two days. "Do you have hope now?" Riley's own eyes shone with hope that the answer would be 'yes'.

Maya smiled broadly. "Yes! Yes! Yes, I have hope, and I love the feeling! I never want to be without it again!"

Riley smiled and hugged her friend tightly for a long moment.

Suddenly Cory called to Maya. "Maya, come here, please."

Maya quickly stood and left the room, with a smile at her best friend.

Cory had the phone to his ear in the kitchen with a worried look on his face. He took the phone away from his ear when he saw Maya and said, "It's your mother."

Maya was suddenly scared and she took in a quick, deep breath. Cory handed the phone to her and put an arm protectively around her as she slowly put the phone to her ear. "Mom?"

"Hi, Maya. I just wanted to know what's going on. You're living with Shawn?"

"Yup."

"Great. I'm coming back, and Shawn said I could also live in the apartment. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's great, but, Mom, you're coming back so soon. Why did you leave in the first place?"

"Maya, in life we have choices. I made a bad choice. I tried to live with an old boyfriend of mine, but it didn't work out. So I'm hoping you can forgive me and we can go back to the way we were. I've missed you terribly. There were just a few days that I was very confused about my life and I decided to leave, which I know now was a bad choice."

"I forgive you, Mom," Maya said, her voice breaking a little. "I love you. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Maya. I love you very much."

Maya hung up the phone and burst into tears. The tears were neither happy nor sad, maybe they were just relief. Cory hugged her close. "Is your mom coming back?"

"Yes, and I'm so happy."

"Good. It'll be good for your mother to be back here, where she belongs. She'll also live in Shawn's apartment?"

Maya nodded. "There's enough room for three. Besides, I'm still hoping that Shawn and my mom will get married. It's pretty unlikely now, but still."

Cory nodded understandingly. "You should probably go and talk to Shawn now about this step, even though he already knows that your mom's moving in."

Maya nodded and rushed out the door and up the stairs to her apartment. She saw Shawn sitting on their couch and immediately ran to him. He hugged her close and said, "I guess you heard from your mom."

"Yeah. She called the apartment. I'm so glad she's coming back. But are you okay that she'll be living with us?"

"Yeah, as long as you're good with it."

"I'm happy about it. But tell me the truth, Shawn. Do you still love my mother? Because if you do, I want you to take it somewhere."

"Yes, Maya. I still love your mother very much. And I'm hoping she still does too, and wants to take it somewhere, like you said. I've missed her."

"I think she missed you too. It sounded like that on the phone."

"Really? On the phone with me, it sounded like all she wanted to do was come back to you."

"It's probably both."

"You're probably right."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here's chapter 10!

The next day, Shawn and Maya were at the airport at 7 am to meet Katy's flight. She was not expecting them to be there, and when Maya ran toward her yelling, "Mom, Mom!", she broke into a huge smile and ran to her daughter embracing her tightly. Shawn was right behind Maya, smiling broadly.

"Hi, Shawn," Katy said with a smile when she released her daughter.

"Hi." Shawn and Katy moved toward each other and hugged gently for a moment, but then Katy surprised both Shawn and Maya by kissing Shawn quickly on the lips. Then she pulled away as Shawn turned red.

"Come on, let's go home," Shawn said, smiling as he took Katy's carry-on.

They quickly got Katy's suitcase from the carousel. Then they caught a taxi to go home.

The Matthews' were waiting in Shawn's apartment to greet Katy.

"Welcome back, Katy," Topanga said, giving her good friend a hug.

"She kissed me," Shawn confided to Cory and Riley as he lugged in Katy's suitcase.

Riley jumped up and down in excitement. "That's great! Keep going, don't spin out of control," she whispered excitedly.

Shawn smiled affectionately at his "niece", seeing how excited she was. He loved her dearly, and was touched that she was so excited for him and his personal life.

"Shawn?" Katy asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where will I be sleeping?"

Shawn showed Katy the third bedroom in his apartment. It was tiny, just big enough to fit a bed, a desk, and a dresser. "I'm sorry it's small," Shawn apologized.

"Mom," Maya said shyly, "if you want, I could move into the smallest room."

"Thank you, baby girl," Katy said giving her daughter a quick hug. "I'm okay with this though. But thank you for the generous offer."

"We should probably be going and let you get properly settled in," Topanga said, noticing how Maya and her mother seemed to want to talk about a lot of stuff in private.

"Bye," Shawn, Katy, and Maya called, hugging their best friends before they left.

"Oh, and by the way, you're invited to dinner at our house," Topanga said, sticking her head back in the door for a moment.

"We'll be sure to be there!" Shawn said with a smile and a wave.

"See you later!"

A/N: So I wrote out this whole story up until here before I posted it. Should I end it here? Or should I add more chapters? Please review and let me know!


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